News Archive - June 2012

Raids discover six illegal workers

A total of six illegal workers have been discovered in the Aberystwyth area following raids by UK immigration officers.

The individuals, from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, were discovered by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers in two restaurants and a nail bar earlier this month.

In one of the restaurants, a 24-year-old woman was discovered to be working in breach of her UK visitor visa conditions. She has since been arrested, held in immigration detention and removed form the country.

Three men were found in a second restaurant, all of whom were working illegally. Two of the individuals had entered the country illegally, while a third was working in breach of his student visa conditions. The individuals, all Bangladeshis, are being held in UK immigration detention pending their removal from the country.

Meanwhile, two Vietnamese women were discovered to be working in a nail bar. One of the women had remained in the country illegally after her claim for asylum was rejected, while the second had stayed in the country following the expiration of her visa. They are currently reporting to a police station while their paperwork is dealt with and may face removal.

The businesses concerned could also face problems if they are found not to have carried out the required right-to-work checks on the individuals before taking them on. Fines of up to £10,000 per worker are attached to this failure.

Andrew Hogan of the UKBA commented: "Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, taking jobs from those who are legally entitled to work and undercutting law-abiding businesses.

"As these raids make clear, we gather intelligence about people breaking immigration laws and take action to stop them."